By Peaches Calhoun
Founder, Humanity First Ohio

On the evening of May 21, 2025, what commenced as a peaceful interfaith gathering outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., ended in ground-shattering barbarity. Two breathing lives — Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26 — were fatally shot following their participation in a program hosted by the American Jewish Committee, focused on dialogue and peacebuilding.

Both were staff members of the Israeli Embassy, attending not as political stage actors but as participants in a collective effort to foster understanding across lines of faith, nationality, and tradition. Their presence was diplomatic. Their purpose was as peaceful as a hummingbird sipping dew from the curve of a fresh green leaf. 

According to law enforcement, the alleged gunman, Elias Rodriguez, 31, was apprehended at the scene and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and hate crime enhancements. Authorities have stated that the crime appears to have been premeditated and motivated by antisemitic beliefs, citing a digital trail of extremist ideology found during the investigation.

A Moment of National Reflection

While this incident took center stage in our nation’s capital, its implications reach far beyond the District. Acts of violence motivated by hate continue to grow another head like a hydra across the United States, clinching the collars of religious, racial, and cultural communities alike. The FBI and nonprofit watchdogs have tracked a sharp increase in hate crimes over the last several years, and this latest tragedy adds to a growing list of incidents where bias has escalated to bloodshed.

The attack’s location — on the grounds of a museum dedicated to the preservation of Jewish history, identity, and resilience — adds a chilling dimension. It shakes even the strongest hearts and stiffens the arms of those used to witnessing tragedy.

The museum is not just a building — it is a beacon of remembrance, a body that holds the souls of the ancestors, and a safeguard against forgetting. It was never meant to become the site of the very violence it stands against.

A Broader Cultural Crisis

This moment is a quiet but urgent invitation to every person in this country. And within the folds of what we’re beholden to — are the questions we can no longer afford to avoid. If diplomats are not safe in spaces of dialogue, where can vulnerable communities expect protection? If violence follows those who pursue peace, what are the consequences for civil society as a whole American pie?

The tragedy compels a reconsideration of how hate is addressed at every level — not only through law enforcement and legislation but through education, discourse, and cultural accountability.

Moving Forward with Purpose

The response to this event cannot stop at the rose atop the closed casket. The lives of Yaron and Sarah must be honored not only in memory but in action — through a renewed commitment to confronting antisemitism, affirming shared humanity, and holding accountable those who sow division through violence.

This is not solely the responsibility of government institutions or advocacy organizations. It belongs to communities, schools, faith groups, and individuals willing to confront bias in their own circles and across broader systems.

Conclusion

What happened on May 21st was not just an unforgettable crime. It was a crisis of conscience.

Those who were killed came in peace. Their lives were added to the sea of souls past not by political disagreement or ideological debate, but by hate — raw, violent, and intentional.

In response, let the answer not be fear or silence, but clarity: hatred, in all its forms, must be named, challenged, and dismantled.

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